Cold morning? Start the day with a hearty bowl of porridge!

Where I live, we’ve had a few weeks of beautiful weather the past while – after the long, cool, and frequently rainy summer, it was pretty wonderful. I enjoyed cycling to work in shorts and a tank top. Enjoyed going for walks in the sunshine after supper…

This morning, the weather shifted back to cold and rainy. My kids were clamouring for a nice, hot, home-made breakfast – so I made a delicious pot of porridge. I’ve actually never been a porridge-person – I don’t tend to like the texture much – but I worked with what I had, and ended up with a pot of porridge that got thumbs-up from everyone in the house.

‘What I had’ started with a big pot of cooked quinoa. My husband volunteered as kitchen-staff at a friend’s wedding last night, and was rewarded at the end with a bunch of leftovers, including the quinoa sitting in a large pot he’d brought along because they needed an extra one. And I had a bag of dried oatmeal (not instant). Some raisins. Dried cranberries. Apples. Sunflower seeds. Almonds…

Toss all ingredients into pot, cook over medium heat about 15 minutes. Serve. Enjoy. As my son says, “Savor it!”

Note – after not making this in several years, I made it again a few days ago, and again this morning. Over the past several years, my kids have gotten a lot bigger, so I’m now doubling the recipe to feed four hungry people. Still a great recipe.

Nutritional breakdown [nutritiondata.com]

This food is low in Saturated Fat, and very low in Cholesterol and Sodium. It is also a good source of Dietary Fiber and Phosphorus, and a very good source of Manganese.